September 20, 2012

Clementine Box Turned Storage Container

Who doesn't love a sweet delicious clementine? They're one of my favorite fruits and lucky for me they also come in cute wooden boxes. I held onto one of these boxes and decided it would make a cool pantry storage container.

I decided to paint it and started off pulling out some excess staples leftover from where the plastic tip used to attach to the box. This box has a pretty smooth finish, but if I had kids, and knew little hands would be reaching in there, I would have also sanded down the edges to prevent splinters.

I got to work by giving the box a coat of spray paint white primer. Usually I'm lazy and skip the primer step, but since the box is made of porous untreated wood I figured the primer is necessary. After the primer dried, I picked a cherry red spray paint color that I already had on hand (you might remember it from such projects as our painted planters or painted sea shell).

In hindsight, I would have rather used a flat finish instead of glossy, but I already had this on hand and the box is going into the pantry, so I'm ok with the glossy for this free and usually hidden behind closed doors project.

But I did think the painted clementine box needed a little something extra, so I decided to add a chalkboard label. I measured around the side of the box and marked off the area the label should go in pencil. Then I taped it off and started having some fun with my new friend, chalkboard spray paint.

A couple of coats later, and after waiting the recommended drying time, bada bing, bada boom, I had a new pantry storage container made from and old clementine box.

It holds my baking supplies and is a cheerful treat for the pantry. Not bad for a free project from an old box, right?

I will be holing onto more clementine boxes as they come into season this year. Maybe next time I'll paint a design onto the box. Now, orange you glad I showed you this project??? Hahaha!